Electric socket



w, 1948. w. E. HILL ETAL 2,446,926

ELECTRIC SOCKET Filed March 6, 1946 wanna a vwwy/z wm 42torney5.

Patented Aug. 10, 1948 ELECTRIC SOCKET Walter Edward Hill, Streetly, and Thomas Daniel Guy Wintle, Walsall, England Application March 6, 1946, Serial No. 652,325 In Great Britain May 26, 1945 2 Claims. (Cl. 173328) This invention relates to improvements in electric sockets, and is particularly concerned with sockets adapted for the reception of tubular ferrules which are crimped or soldered to the end of an electric cable, and in which resilient contact pressure engagement of the socket with the ferrule is maintained in the event of loosening of a screw which normally provides a positive locking engagement between the socket and ferrule.

According to this invention, the outer ends of coacting, semi-cylindrical socket parts are gripped externally by a sleeve-like spring, and such socket parts are shaped internally for locking engagement with a complementary formation of the ferrule, The screw, which can be tightened for clamping the socket parts together in positive locked engagement with the ferrule, passes through the socket parts and its threaded portion may enter a tapped opening in a pillar to which a lead may be soldered or otherwise connected. The sleeve-like spring extends over a substantial length of the outer ends of the coacting socket parts, and may be provided with an oblique slit for facilitating its assemblage on said ends.

To enable the invention to be readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example several preferred constructions for carrying the invention into eifect, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one construction,

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a slightly modified construction mounted on an insulating base, and

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the device of Figure 1 looking at said device from the left side of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, each socket comprises a pair of semi-cylindrical pressings a, a which have an encircling sleeve-like spring b disposed around them at one end thereof which end is open for the introduction of a ferrule c crimped on the end of an electric conductor d. The plain portion of the shank of a screw e extends freely through aligning openings at the other end of the socket, while the exposed threaded portion of said screw enables the socket to be secured to an instrument or the base thereof. The plain portion of the screw is formed with circumferential protuberances g constituting means for retaining the upper pressing a on said screw. The ends of the pressings a, a opposite those ends which constitute the ferrule engaging portions of the socket, are closed except for centrally-located, substantially semi-circular cut out portions a and a, which cut out portions, when the pressings are assembled as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings with adjacent edges of said pressings in slightly spaced relation, constitute a substantially circular opening. For maintaining the pressings a, and a in spaced alignment, the edges of said semi-circular cut-out portions engage the hub ,f' of a spool-like bush f. Each pressing a and a is enlarged at its closed end to form a chambered portion through which the screw e extends, and for the purpose of providing an annular internal shoulder h, for interlocking engagement with a rim or flange 1' on the ferrule.

In Figure 2, the opening in the lower pressing a is of enlarged diameter to permit an annular lip R: at the upper end of a metal pillar m to be riveted over for connection to pressing a. The pillar m is mounted in an opening formed in an insulating base 12., its lower end protruding through the bottom of said insulating base and receiving a securing nut 0, said protruding lower end being adapted for soldered connection with an electric cable. The pillar in has a squared formation m for non-rotational mounting in a similarly shaped recess in the base. Alternatively. when the pillar is to be mounted on a panel, it may be formed with pointed pips m for engagement with the surface of the panel.

When the screw e is loosened, the encircling spring I) maintains a resilient pressure engagement of the pressings a and a on ferrule c. On tightening the screw, the ferrule c is positively locked in position between said pressings, adequate contact pressure being maintained whether the screw is tight or loose. It will thus be apparent that the pressings a and a constitute coactin members of a clamp or socket and that means are provided for effectively retaining an inserted plug or ferrule in position within said clamp or socket. It will also be apparent that the spool-like bush .1 functions to center the pressings a and a when said pressings are in assembled relation as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings, and that said bush f prevents said pressings from partaking of relative axial or longitudinal movement when there is an appreciable clearance between the outer surface of screw e and the holes in said pressings through which said screw extends.

We claim:

1. A socket for an electric coupling comprising coacting, semi-cylindrical parts each havin adjacent complementary end portions which together form a socket shaped internally for en- 3 gagement with a similarly shaped formation on a plug adapted for insertion between said complementary end portions, the adjacent opposite end portions of each of said parts being closed except for a centrally located, substantially semi-circular cut out portion, a spring in the form of a sleeve disposed around the said adjacent complementary end portions and adapted for maintaining them in resilient pressure engagement with the insert ed plug, a mounting screw extending through alined openings in said parts, and a spool-like bush positioned between the adjacent closed ends of said parts with the said closed ends positioned between the end flanges of said bush and with the walls defining the semi-circular cut out portions of said closed ends engaging the hub of said bush. a

2. A socket as defined in claim 1 wherein the complementary end portions which together form the socket are shaped internally to provide an internal annular shoulder for engagement with an annular flange on an inserted plug, and wherein the mounting screw, when tightened, maintains a positive locking engagement between said annular shoulder and said annular flange to retain said plug within said socket.

WALTER EDWARD HILL. THOMAS DANIEL GUY WINTLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

